


Heartaches by the number.

by espiritus



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: And Now For Something Completely Different, Angst and Tragedy, Caesar's Legion, Experimental, F/M, Feels, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Not Canon Compliant, Sacrifice, Sad Ending, Slight Canon Divergence, Tags May Change, because Legion are a bunch of asshats, but war never changes, messing with timelines a bit, not a light read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 05:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15834777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espiritus/pseuds/espiritus
Summary: The Battle of Hoover Dam ends in an NCR victory, but it is not without cost.Boone, Cass, and Rex manage to flee the scene, but Cait, Deacon, and Mac are enslaved by Legion troops, leaving Von at the mercy of their sadistic leader.(Not sure if this will become part of a series or what, but it's a one-shot for now.)





	Heartaches by the number.

**Author's Note:**

> IDK where this came from. I just really missed writing, and I love New Vegas, so here we are. I guess I'll figure out what to do with it later. 
> 
> Feel free to leave any comments etc. below, and thanks for supporting my work. :)

Von stands before Caesar's throne, one eye swollen shut and blood oozing from a gash beneath her left eye. Lanius has already beaten her within an inch of her life, more than once, but the lashes and threats have done nothing to weaken her resolve. If anything, the pain has made her stronger: since losing Nate, it has become her closest ally, and she's more determined not to let it break her. 

"Kneel, dissolute. I'm only going to ask once."

Instead, she shakes her head and spits a mouthful of blood at his feet, wondering how much pain the human body can withstand before it goes into shock and shuts down... for science, of course. But she's not thinking of herself: she's thinking of Cait and MacCready, her beloved Deacon, all bound and chained in that awful slave-pen. It should be her down there, since she's the one who dragged them out here in the first place. But it isn't, and she'll be lucky to see the Commonwealth again.

"Mighty Caesar has given you an order, Profligate. _Kneel!_ "

Lanius backhands her across the face, hard enough that she falls to her knees. Still, she does not falter, boldly turning her cheek toward the blow as if daring him to strike her harder; her insolence only fuels his vicious rage, but it's Caesar himself who raises a hand to curb the Legate's bloodlust. "Enough," he says finally, gesturing to Von with his free hand. "Though corporal punishment has proven ineffective, you should know that there are rewards for doing as I command. Today, your reward is mercy: you get to decide how your friends die."

He glances at Von, his black eyes glinting with savage pleasure. "Pray tell, my dear," he continues, oblivious to her disgust. "Will it be crucifixion, the Arena, or something a little more... personal? Regardless, I assure you that your punishment of choice will be far more merciful than mine."

The vault dweller levels her gaze at him. "Fuck you," she spits, and Caesar only laughs as a pair of centurions drag her from the tent.

-

As she's led to the slave pen by the guards, Von hears a familiar whisper only steps away. 

"Olivia!"

She recognizes Deacon's voice immediately, and convinces the Legionnaires to let her deliver the news to her friends alone- they think she's made a decision at last, and the older one seems to take pity on her as he leads his partner back toward the tent.

While no one is watching, she reaches up and rests one hand on Deacon's cheek. They're still separated by that God-awful chain-link fence, but it's been days since she's been close to him and will steal whatever time she can, before the inevitable moment of truth. She presses her forehead to his and sighs mournfully.

"Caesar says I get to decide how you die."

She's perilously close to tears, but Deacon holds a finger to his lips and points to the top of the encampment. "Listen," he whispers in her ear. "I overheard some of the guards talking- you see that truck, up on the overlook? Word is, there's enough radioactive material in there to completely annihilate this camp... and everything in it that breathes."

"What?" Von practically exclaims, her voice rising as he motions for silence. "If I do that, you'll all die."

Deacon shakes his head, a wry laugh escaping his lips. "In case you haven't noticed, we're Legion slaves. We'll all die anyway. At least, if you do it, maybe our deaths won't be in vain."

"No. I refuse. I won't do it. I'll-"

"Please," Deacon practically begs. "You're the best, and possibly _only_ , chance these people have at a decent life. Sure, you'll lose us, and that sucks, but you'll be saving hundreds, maybe thousands, of people from these assholes. I've had a good run, and besides... We can save today, but you can save Vegas. Maybe even the world."

As much as she doesn't want to admit it, he's right. Death is far kinder than what the Legion will do to the people of New Vegas, and they deserve a shot at a real life. But her friends, and her sweet Deacon... She can't, won't do it. But so many lives are at stake, and it's for the greater good.

"Whisper," he says, linking his fingers through hers, the cold metal leaving angry red welts where his hand crushes her smaller one. "When we took down the Institute, remember when I said that I needed you to be my strong, synth-saving badass? Well, that's what I need you to be right now, except you're my Legion-murdering machine this time, okay?"

Von nods, silent tears slipping down her cheeks in silver sheets. She doesn't want to do it, but she knows that she must: it's the right choice, the only choice. And Deacon smiles, because he already knows she'll do the right thing. _Protecting the people at a minute's notice_ , just like she always does.

"Do it, Whisper," he says, as he wipes a tear from her face. "Take down Legion. Burn that scum to the ground, once and for all. Be strong, and remember... I love you."

She gulps back a sob. "I love you too."

As if on cue, all three of her friends start screaming, hurling their bodies against the pen as though possessed. A _fuck Caesar_ from Cait; a _down with Legion_ from MacCready. And Deacon is shouting various Latin obscenities that he probably learned from some book or other- he's enjoying this, a shit-disturber to the end... It's one of the things she'll miss most about him, and she almost doubles over in pain as her heart breaks in two.

With a last, desperate glance, Deacon mouths _go_ and a final _I love you_ in her direction. Von nods and clasps one hand over her heart in response, then swallows over the bile rising in her throat and heads for the overlook. And, as the guards prepare to dispatch justice, they're so distracted by the commotion that they don't even notice as she slips past them into the shadows.


End file.
